Obstacles
by cocosbokcs
Summary: Far away from the troubles of Arcadia Bay, Max feels entitled to start enjoying her life again - together with Chloe. But what reality would they be living in if everything would go the way they expect it to? The newly acclaimed idyll is soon tainted by a former "frienemy" asking for help, and neither Chloe nor Max expected to see what they will encounter once back in action.
1. Intro

Max woke up to warm sunrays kissing her face. Still mildly traumatised from the past week, she took a glimpse through her halfway shut eyelids, sighing with relief as she realized that she was laying in the large bed of a small hotel room, covered in fresh linen sheets and dressed in nothing but a generic white shirt and her underwear. It felt so good, knowing that there was nothing that could cause her harm within these four walls - at least as far as she knew. It felt good to be out of Arcadia Bay - or what was left of it. At least for this moment, there was no more drama, no trace of the past week and no psychotic Mark Jefferson tormenting her. Max closed her eyes again, not wanting to get up immediately, turned around on her stomach and nuzzled up into the blanket covering her. She had to smile as she sniffed the sweet scent of Chloe's perfume on the cool cotton. The presence of her best friend meant a great deal of comfort to Max - after all, having a partner in crime around was genuinely important, especially after wiping out an entire town with mysterious super-powers.

They had left Arcadia Bay behind them - together, maybe forever.

She took in a deep breath, feeling a warm gush of energy charging her body. Then she turned around on her other side, expecting to see her best friend laying on the sheets next to her. And there she was, snoozing to the sound of the birds outside their window. She looked so peaceful and content with her eyes closed - it was a rare sight that Max was immediately tempted to take a snapshot of. Luckily she had her polaroid set up on her nightstand, alongside a pile of pictures that the two of them had taken during their trip after the storm. She took a quick glance at the one lying on top - a goodnight selfie that they had taken right before going to bed.

 _So sweet_ , Max thought to herself.

Grabbing hold of Williams old Camera, she crawled off the bed without making a sound and positioned herself at the end of the bed. While she glimpsed through the viewfinder she realized how pure and innocent Chloe appeared all of a sudden, lying between the velvet bedsheets, dressed in nothing but a dark slip and her signature white tank top.

As Max pressed the release, she couldn't help but think of Mark Jefferson for a second, and how he had seen his victims in similar poses, always admiring the exact same innocence Chloe was portraying at the moment. She cringed in disgust and tried blocking out the memories of the Dark Room entering her conscious.

 _There's no way you're going back there..._ she thought to herself, taking the photograph and placing it on the nightstand on top all the others. Again, she had to smile.

Before she could lose herself into one of her endless daydreams again, she gathered her clothes from the day before and slipped into the bathroom on her tiptoes - after all, she didn't want to wake the sleeping beauty laying right before her.

So she snuck into the bathroom, undressed and hopped into the shower. She realized how, after all the stress from the past week, this ordinary routine appeared almost luxurious. This shower was nothing like the last one that she'd had at Blackwell Academy. The warm water felt different, as did the soap she used - although it was the exact same brand. Perhaps it was the bathroom itself that made the difference, perhaps it was the feeling of being freed from all the drama at Blackwell. Or perhaps it was because she knew that Chloe was hers to keep, forever.

 _Who knows..._ Max murmured, rinsing out the shampoo from her hair.

After declaring herself squeaky clean, she got out of the shower and dried her body with the towel hanging over the sink. Then she stripped on the clothes from the day before, left a note for Chloe to meet her downstairs for breakfast and left the room.


	2. Spanish Sahara

The walls of the lunchroom were painted in auburn and yellow-ochre shades, a combination that appealed to Max. As she entered the room, she breathed in the scent of freshly grilled bacon and eggs, alongside the swift perfume of freshly baked pancakes. Anticipating the delicacies awaiting her, she took a look around. Standing at the other end of the room was a large buffet, built up on a table draped in a yellow tablecloth. The lunchroom was relatively empty, only few guests had taken a seat in the comfy lounge chairs or the booths at the window, some with company and others without.

The wooden floor creaked as Max set her foot on the other side of the door well, a sound that was magically soothing to her. Relieved that there was still some food left, she grabbed herself a plate and some cutlery, then made her way over to the to the buffet. Of course, her choices were limited compared to the first serving, nevertheless she was still overwhelmed by the vast array of dishes at her fingertips.

" _Looks like more than waffles and bacon today"_ she thought to herself, reminiscent of the Two Whale Diner.

She weighed her options, eventually treating herself to a sandwich spread with jam and creamy peanut butter, alongside a cup of coffee. With enough food on her plate to get her day started, she sat down in a booth close by the window. She sunk into the cushioned red seat, relaxing as she rolled up her sleeves and took a bite of the sandwich.

" _Delicious…"_

The view from her spot was immaculate. The hotel was located atop a small hill, overseeing the breadth of the seashore. In a way, this place reminded Max of Arcadia Bay's lighthouse, a place she would never be able to forget. Soon, she found herself staring outside the window, sipping on her coffee, listening to the noises that filled the air around her and watching the waves wash up on the seashore. As she watched the sea, she was reminded of the moments she had spent close to the water in Arcadia Bay - moments that were now places she escaped to more or less unwillingly, as they were overshadowed by everything she had gone through last week. She couldn't help but ponder about how and if the citizens of Arcadia Bay had made it through the storm, if anyone was still alive. The streets had been so torn up and ravished when Chloe had driven her truck down the main road. Max doubted that anyone, not even Joye and David, had made it out alive. It didn't take Max too long until her thoughts circled around the one topic she had been somewhat ignoring for the past 48 hours.

Was she ever going to return to Blackwell Academy?

Even though she had evaded the thoughts about her classes surprisingly well for the past two days, she knew that she couldn't go on like that forever. It'd be only a matter of time before she'd have to face reality, and this time there was no way she could allow herself to choose which reality that was going to be. Of course she would be grateful to continue pursuing her passion at Blackwell, but she couldn't deny that she was enjoying her current freedom, far away from all the drama, and twisted souls - but _with_ Chloe. She could not even begin to describe how it made her feel, going wherever she wanted, discovering new places to go and traveling anywhere her heart desired. She had the world at her feet - at least for now.

But of course, she knew that complete freedom was not going to last forever, so before she could lose herself in cheesy daydreams, she decided to face reality. So she pulled out her cellphone from her jacket to check her messages. To her frustration, she quickly realized that her battery was drained entirely.

"Damn." she murmured to herself, dropping the phone next to her plate. Of course, this also explained why she hadn't received a call or text from her parents yet. And Warren! Max found herself immediately worried about what may have happened to him as his name came to mind. They hadn't seen each other since before the big storm - well, he hadn't seen her at least.  
After all, that memory inside the diner was exclusively hers, due to time-traveling and all.

Not wanting to delve too deeply into the the discomforting thoughts about presumed casualties, she watched the other guests of the hotel, who - for the most part - presented, grouchy morning mugs.  
Silently chuckling at the wide array of grouchy facials, Max finished her breakfast. She was lucky to take her last sip of coffee just in time before the hotel staff entered to clear the buffet table, so she was able to grab a little breakfast for Chloe just before all the food disappeared.  
Armed with a few slices of crispy bacon, a selection of fruits, two hashbrowns and a couple of fried eggs, she made her way back upstairs. Since last night had been the first one that the two of them had spent here, this was the first time that Max saw the interior of the hotel in raw daylight.

As she reached their room at the end of the hallway, she didn't care to knock on the door, as she was sure that Chloe wouldn't mind her popping in. Heck, they had spend most of their lives together - she had already caught Chloe in countless embarrassing situations, so she figured that nothing could startle her.  
Presenting the plate with food, she stepped into the room, scanning it for her best friend. In an instant, she spotted the bluenette laying in bed on her back, dressed in nothing more than jeans and a bra, staring at the ceiling. A little startled, Max felt how her heart skipped a beat - a sensational attraction she'd only ever felt in Chloe's presence, no matter how casual the situation. She couldn't help but notice how beautiful that girl was to her - for some reason, her emotions never appeared to make sense when in her presence. It made sense though in a way...after all, she couldn't imagine a world without her.  
"Hey sleepy head -" Max exclaimed in a cheerful voice "- I was hoping you'd be up by now."

Chloe turned her head to face the petite nerd and met her eyes.  
"Oh...hey Max…" she uttered "I'm sorry, I didn't even hear you come in." she added.

Max found herself alarmed that Chloe's greeting was not as cheerful as she had expected it to be. She closed the door behind her back, walked over to the nightstand in order to lay down the plate with food and stripped off her gray jacket.  
"Whatsup? You look unhappy." she remarked, observantly scanning her friend and the rest of the room. It didn't take long until she discovered that Chloe's phone was laying on the wooden floor, its battery and cover scattered about.

Max raised an eyebrow and knelt down on the bed next to her friend. At first reluctantly, she placed her hand on Chloe's upper leg, scanning her from head to toe. She figured that something must've interrupted her while she was getting dressed. The white tee Chloe had worn this morning was spread on the floor next to the bed, while the shirt she'd probably intended to wear was crumpled up beneath her Torso.  
"Ah nothing - just bullshit daydreams - " Chloe explained..

"Chloe, don't play me. Your phone's on the floor and you have a blazing _fuck off_ written all over your face. Tell me what happened?" her smaller, more innocent counterpart interrupted.  
Chloe sighed, looked around the room and grinned as she spotted the food on the nightstand. She jerked up and leaned over to grab the plate, ignoring Max's disapproving stare.  
"Hey cool, you brought me food!" she cried out - however, only to evade Max's interrogation.

"Chloe…"

Chloe just stared at the plate in her hands and sighed, aware of the fact that it would be improper to keep anything from her companion. She skimmed outside the window, then at Max, then back at the plate, looking for the right choice of words. As she had gathered her thoughts, she breathed in and out theatrically and looked Max straight in the eye.  
"You remember our visit at Frank´s right?" she asked right away.

Max shrugged her shoulders and nodded. How could she have possibly forgotten about the strange man who had been the indirect source for the crimes committed in her home town? A shudder ran down her spine as she thought about how Chloe had - somehow unwillingly - shot that shady drug dealer in the leg.

"Yea, Mom found out about it. She just busted me on the phone for shooting at him." she growled. Chloe sounded so bitter, although she did have some of that boisterous attitude in her voice. Of course, the fact that Frank Bowers had taddle-told on Chloe was not at all cooI, but still Max felt instant relief as she heard that at least a few citizens of Arcadia Bay had survived - and that Chloe's mother was one of them. She couldn't begin to imagine what Chloe may have felt like, had the only constant in her life been wiped out.

She smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand and groaned, which Chloe found to be one of the most honest reactions she'd seen in a long time.  
"That sucks! How did she find out?" she asked.  
Chloe shrugged her shoulders and flung a strip of bacon into her mouth.  
"Dunno. Bowers must have been doing _really_ bad to open up to _my_ mom." she stated.

"She said something about him being treated in a local hospital. I guess that gunshot got infected or something? Whatever….but guess what; To give me some more shit, he - I quote - "desperately begged" for us to visit him."


End file.
